We had the good fortune of connecting with Alexus Levant and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alexus, can you share a quote or affirmation with us?
“You have the best ideas. Other people’s opinions are usually more destructive than informative. Follow your own vision. Base your actions on love. Do things you love and if you don’t absolutely love something stop doing it as soon as you can.” -Kanye West

This quote speaks to me because in the creative process of designing and planning for Levant I would often find myself asking for other’s opinions. I found that my core ideas were always the best and most authentic. I’m an overthinker and a perfectionist so listening to other’s opinions can be distracting from my original ideas.
As artists, I feel that we should still value feedback and suggestions, but don’t let them derail you from your original vision.

What should our readers know about your business?
First, I’d like to mention that Levant is approaching its first year on Black Friday! I’m so excited to celebrate the first year of business. Even though Levant is a still baby, there is still more to come! The first year of business is always the roughest because you’re literally just trying to survive and pay bills but God has blessed me beyond that point. I am ecstatic to see what’s in store for year 2!

From the very beginning, I had the intention of using Levant to help and inspire others to elevate and levitate. Levant stands out from other clothing brands because we are a conscious, ethical, eco-friendly, and minority-owned brand. It meant so much to me to provide attainable, sustainable, and quality pieces that don’t have harmful human, social, and environmental consequences. Also, I love that we maintain a small environmental impact because our packaging is 100% biodegradable and recyclable. I’m also proud to say that all products at Levant are always produced through an ethical supply chain.
I believe this is important because the fashion industry is overwhelmed by fast fashion. There are many pros to fast fashion, but I feel like the cons outweigh the pros. I hate how their workers are mistreated by poor working conditions and how much waste and pollution is involved in the fast fashion cycle. So from the start, it was imperative to me to not contribute to the harm already being done. However, being a conscious brand can pose some challenges. For example, it’s harder to catch up with fashion trends as quickly as fast fashion brands because they’re able to manufacture clothes and launch them within days. Conscious brands focus on designing quality pieces and collections which take longer to produce. I believe that’s the beauty of being a conscious brand because I’m creating art and providing an experience through each collection I work on.
Another one of my favorite things about having a conscious brand is the community impact. One example of something we did was donate 10% of all our profits for a month to Hope Atlanta, a nonprofit devoted to helping the homeless in Atlanta. The feeling of helping others in your community is priceless!
In my opinion, I’ve been able to make it this far business-wise because I never lost my vision for Levant. Everything I do for Levant, whether it’s marketing or creative direction, comes from an original vision that I have for my brand. It’s so important to stay true to your vision otherwise you will sell yourself short. It’s easy to lose vision while getting caught up in everyday business tasks. Anytime this happens, I refer back to my brand mood boards or journal entries to recenter myself.
I also learned that having a business is all about serving others. Everything you do for your business should be done with the intention to serve others. You can clearly tell the difference between businesses that only operate for the money and the businesses that care about serving their customers. Everyone hates the feeling of being treated like a number. With this in mind, I keep the intention of communicating love and care through every interaction a customer may have with Levant.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
During the holiday season, I enjoy ice skating at Atlantic Station and touring the garden lights at the Botanical Garden. The Ponce City Rooftop and beltline is always a vibe too. Also, I enjoy hiking so Kennesaw Mountain or Stone Mountain is always fun.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The very first idea of Levant sparked into my head when I attended Oglethorpe University in 2018. This is the time in my life where I truly found myself artistically. I met Zmear Calle, a fashion designer, and through our talks he inspired me to name my brand Levant. Ever since then, I dreamt about Levant every day until August 2020 where I began the business building process. Through enough research, strategizing, and content creating I successfully launched my business in 3 months. What really helped Levant get going was the support from my friends and some of my family members. I will always be thankful to those who support Levant!

Website: officiallevant.com

Instagram: @officiallevant

Facebook: @levantofficial

Other: TikTok: @Levantapparel

Image Credits
Photographer: @niyatroi Edits: @alex_hancu Models: @foreverbreanna @em0nie Creative Director: @alexuslevant

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